Wendy Williams' guardian Sabrina Morrissey claims the former daytime talk show host was impaired when she signed a contract to take part in the Lifetime docuseries Where Is Wendy Williams?
In court documents obtained by NBC News, Morrissey is asking the court to declare the contract signed by Williams null and void, arguing an agreement was made prior to her aphasia and dementia diagnosis and a guardian was not present to assist her.
"She was not, and is not, capable for consenting to the terms of the documentary Contract," Morrissey said in court docs. "And no one acting in [Williams'] best interest would allow her to be portrayed in the demeaning manner in which she is portrayed in the Trailer for the documentary."
Morrissey initially filed a restraining order to prevent the docuseries from airing, but her request was denied due to the First Amendment. The decision was handed down the day before the premiere and around the same time that 59-year-old Williams' diagnosis was made public.
Williams suffers from primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia, or FTD, which impacts her behavior and cognitive functions. Bruce Willis received the same diagnosis in 2022.
A lawsuit was then filed against A&E. Morrissey, who was appointed Williams' legal guardian by the state of New York in February 2022, said the contract was signed in Nov. 2022 by "the 'CEO' of The Wendy Experience, Inc.," but it is unclear who that person is.
Morrissey argues the CEO's signature is "not clearly legible" and "highly distinguishable" from that of Williams.
Morrissey said in court docs that the docuseries depicted Williams in a "demeaning and undignified manner." Her guardian knew Williams was working with a film crew on a comeback project, but was unaware of the existence of a signed contract.
Morrissey believed Williams' manager William Selby would have "final creative control" over the project "with the understanding that nothing would be released without review and final approval of the Guardian and the court."
Also this week, Williams' ex-husband Kevin Hunter filed a motion to receive two years worth of unpaid spousal support. “This is an emergent matter because I rely on the severance pay for my living expenses and having been without this income for 23 months has affected me greatly," he wrote in the filing.
